100 doors
compiled and designed by Lawrence Kasparowitz
Copyright © 2017
Lawrence Kasparowitz
introduction As a necessary architectural element throughout the world, doors separate and define space, facilitating passage between interior and exterior, private and public, sacred and secular. Rather than simply serving utilitarian purposes, the carved, embossed, and painted portals from Africa, Asia, and South America illustrate an extraordinary array of forms and motifs. Most examples are made of wood and are sometimes embellished with imagery such as animals, both mythical and real, human figures, or abstract designs. A number of cultures have transformed doors, elevating them from ubiquitous forms to individual works of art. The doors chosen often demonstrate not only incredible craftsmanship and aesthetics, but in their original settings, reveal information about their owners. Occasionally, the imagery depicted on carved and painted doors served as historical narratives that relayed significant events or stories. Elaborate door panels were often created for sacred places such as the palaces of kings and chiefs, meeting houses of secret societies, and burial chambers. Many of these doors identified their proprietors as wealthy or referred to prestigious ancestors, or were the property of high-ranking members of associations. Such doors may have not only demonstrated the importance of the people who lived inside, but the significance of the items that were stored inside. Portals served to protect and include iconography capable of offering spiritual as well as physical security. Their symbols were often propitious, alluding to cosmology, ancestors, and deities, as well as to abundance, health and well-being, continuity, and beneficence. Each example depicts the extraordinary artistry and the diverse range of meanings and uses that people from around the world have applied to doors. Doors have a special place in architecture. The following selection was not based on a specific type, but rather a search for representative doors from each of the one hundred countries. Some of the doors have a formal style and some have a folk style. Some are painted with many colors and some are painted with one color. Some are grand and some are simple.
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Afghanistan 1
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Albania 2
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Argentina 3
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Armenia 4
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Australia 5
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Austria 6
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Azerbaijan 7
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Bahamas 8
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Bhutan 9
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Blolivia 10
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Brazil 11
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Bulgaria 12
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Cambodia 13
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Canada 14
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Chile 15
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China 16
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Columbia 17
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Costa Rica 18
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Croatia 19
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Cuba 20
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Cyprus 21
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Czechoslovakia 22
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Denmark 23
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Dominican Republic 24
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Ecuador 25
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Egypt 26
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El Salvador 27
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England 28
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Estonia 29
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Ethiopia 30
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Finland 31
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France 32
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Georgia 33
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Germany 34
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Ghana 35
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Greece 36
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Guatemala 37
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Haiti 38
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Hungary 39
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Iceland 40
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India 41
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Indonesia 42
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Iran 43
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Ireland 44
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Israel 45
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Italy 46
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Japan 47
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Kazakhstan 48
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Kenya 49
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Laos 50
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Latvia 51
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Lebanon 52
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Libya 53
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Lithuania 54
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Macedonia 55
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Malta 56
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Mexico 57
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Mongolia 58
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Morocco 59
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Mozambique 60
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Nederlands 61
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Nepal 62
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New Zealand 63
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Nicaragua 64
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Norway 65
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Oman 66
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Pakistan 67
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Panama 68
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Peru 69
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Philippines
70
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Poland 71
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Portugal 72
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Puerto Rico 73
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România 74
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Russia 75
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Saudi Arabia 76
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Scotland 77
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Senegal 78
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Serbia 79
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Slovenia 80
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South Africa 81
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South Korea 82
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Spain 83
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Sweden 84
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Switzerland 85
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Syria 86
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Taiwan 87
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Thailand 88
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Tibet 89
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Tunisia 90
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Turkey 91
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Turkmenistan 92
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Ukraine 93
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United Arab Emirates 94
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United States 95
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Urugauy 96
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Venezuela 97
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Vietnam 98
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Yemen 99
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Zanzibar 100
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colophon
This book was produced on a Toshiba Chromebook 2. Google applications such as Docs, Drive, Draw, etc. were used to layout the pages, insert the images and format the text. There are three fonts that were used;
Pinyon Script for the photo titles CINZEL DECORATIVE for page numbers Quattrocento Sans for the text. Printing is done by Createspace. Fulfillment and shipping are through Amazon.
images
All images were obtained through internet sources. Most came from Pinterest.There was an attempt to get the best quality images available, however the printing process has it’s limitations.
gratitude Maryl Millard for her patience Rose and Ryan Minton for staying out of trouble Nikko for being man’s best friend